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Tourism growth in Amsterdam through various means

3 min reading time

Published on 16/02/15 - Updated on 29/06/23

Amsterdam, Pays-Bas

Amsterdam experienced a successful 2014. The occupancy rate of its hotels grew two percentage points, to reach 80.4%, leading to a clear increase in the RevPAR. The city has been able to attract even more international tourists than the previous year thanks in particular to good performance at its Schiphol airport, the attractiveness of its museums and growth in arrivals from different source markets.

The number of international tourists has increased



Figures published by Amsterdam's tourist office should bring a smile to hoteliers' faces in the city. In the first nine months of 2014, the number of hotel nights progressed by 10.7 % over the same period in 2013. Those realized by international visitors are up by 11.5% and 7%. Among those supply markets experiencing strong growth are emerging countries such as India (+31.7%), South Korea (27.3%), Turkey (+17.8%) and Brazil (+9.3%). The same may be observed in Europe, a more traditional source market, where growth hails from the United Kingdom (+14.6%), Germany (+17.2%), Italy (+12.9%) and France (+10.9%). American clientele (+10.4%) also play a role. With the devaluation of the ruble, Russian clientèle have become rarer along the canals (-2%). The leisure segment has progressed more than the business segment: +13.2% for the prior, +5.5% for the latter.

Hotel results up



On the whole of 2014, hotel performances in Amsterdam have been on a growth curve. Between 2013 and 2014, occupancy rates progressed by 2 percentage points from 78.4% to 80.4%. The average daily rate excluding taxes grew by 2.5% with a 5.1% increase in the RevPAR according to figures published by MKG Hospitality. This generalized increase in occupancy rate may be explained in particular by the good performance during the off-peak season. Thus the months of February (+12.5 pts), April (+5.5 pts) and December (+5.7 pts) were much better than in 2013. However, in the peak season fluctuations were minimal and the occupancy rate stabilized between 85 and 90%. In 2014, Amsterdam succeeded in doing what many destinations try to do: smooth out the seasonal variations over the course of the year:

Museums are popular



The Rijksmuseum effect has driven growth in museum visits. Amsterdam's biggest museum was not completely open in the early months of 2013, whence the positive comparison in 2014. Thus, on the first nine months of 2014, the number of visitors to the city's fifty museums grew by 4.1%, but by only 1.3% if we don't take into consideration the increase in number of visitors to the Rijksmuseum. The Rembrandt retrospective, organized between February and May this year at the Rijksmuseum and the commemoration events for the 125th anniversary for the death of Van Gogh should help maintain good occupancy scores at museums in 2015.

Projects to encourage the perennity of tourism development



A veritable hub, Schiphol airport attracts increasing numbers of international travelers. In 2014, Schiphol recorded a 6.9% increase in traffic, and the creation of new routes or increased frequencies of existing routes has already been announced for 2015. KLM will launch a Montpellier-Amsterdam connection starting in mid-May with one flight a day. 

In 2015, tourist arrivals in the city should be boosted by the ninth edition of Sail Amsterdam in August. This event, which takes place every five years, brings historic sailboats to the port and attracts around two million visitors. At the beginning of 2016, the city will open the A'Dam Toren, the tallest building in Amsterdam (22 floors) that will give a boost to the north bank of the River IJ. This industrial neighborhood is experiencing renewed activity thanks to the opening in 2011 of the EYE Film Institute. The hotel Sir A'Dam, with its "boutique" positioning will have 120 rooms on five floors of the tower (see elevation plan below). It will be part of an original  "mixed-use" real estate development project that will be particularly diversified since it will also include bars, restaurants, offices, design studios, spaces for music and nightclubs as well as an observation deck overlooking the city.

Other projects are also expected to be announced in the abandoned industrial area. Another event to be followed in July 2016 is the organization of the European Athletics Championships.

Also read:



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  • Generator to enter Amsterdam
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